Burnett's Reflections
by Miss Quartermain
Summary: Part eight in the Mazanett Drabbles series.  Owen's thoughts and observations after the events of the Mirror and Sweet Elisa.  AU Mazanett


Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. They belong to the great and powerful Greg Weisman. And this plot belongs to both myself and Obi's Second Cousin.

Author's Note: The plot thickens! My first time writing Owen in the first person, so I'm just a little nervous about it. Thanks to Obi's Second Cousin for giving me part of this plot idea and for looking over this before I actually posted it. She's a gem!

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The phone was already ringing when Puck returned to the office. Fortunately she managed to take my form just as we reached the phone. I cleared my throat as I answered, mentally wincing as my voice changed from Puck's warm alto to my own usual baritone as I spoke.

"Burnett."

There was a pause at the other end, so long that I began to wonder if anyone was even there to begin with. I almost hung up when I heard Elisa's voice on the other end.

"Owen? Is that you?"

Damn transformation. Of course Elisa would notice the change in my voice. She was a smart woman, after all, and she had earned her position as a detective. It would be very hard to get around this little slip up on Puck's part. At least the little Fae had the decency to feel chagrined by this.

"Of course it is, Detective," I replied with a slight smile.

I could not deny that I enjoyed the sound of Elisa's voice. It was very rich and full of expression. Whenever she called me, I could tell precisely what she needed before she even voiced her needs by listening to her tone. At the moment, she sounded bewildered, as though something had dropped out of the sky and landed on top of her. Though…given Puck's personality and the conversation that she had just had with Elisa, that wasn't entirely surprising to me.

"How may I help you today, Detective?" I continued, regretting that I did not dare call her by her name while speaking to her over the phone. Mr. Xanatos was very likely to have bugged the phones, after all. I could see why Puck was so fond of his company, as he was as tricky as she sometimes.

Elisa inhaled and exhaled sharply, clearly trying to gather her wits about her. I could almost hear how she was chewing on her lip thoughtfully. Finally, she managed to speak. "I need to see you…I have a lot on my mind, and I need to talk about it before I go insane."

Ah. So Puck _had_ gotten to her. I shook my head a little in amusement at the small hobgoblin's antics. While I could not say that I approved of her methods, Puck had managed to keep Elisa safe from the twisted desires of Demona. A slight shiver ran through me as I remembered how Demona had demanded that she "be rid" of Elisa.

"Of course," I said slowly into the phone. "I shall be there in a half hour." Perhaps I would stop to get her flowers. After all, she had been through a great deal last night and this morning because of Puck's tricks. Of course, I understood that Puck did it with good intentions, but that did not change the facts. Yes…flowers would be a good idea. I believed Elisa was fond of lilies…

"Thanks so much," Elisa said with a sigh of relief. "I love you," she added in a whisper.

I wanted to respond in kind, but I knew that I could not. There was too much risk of my employer hearing. All the same…Elisa understood this, and she knew that I returned her feelings. Far more deeply than either Puck or I had ever expected me to.

"I will speak with you soon, Detective," I said before hanging up the phone and passing a hand over my eyes.

I did love Elisa Maza. I had never thought that I would, but I did. Certainly I had cared very deeply for her before we…were forced to go our separate ways. Then she was shot, and both the Puck and I realized just how deeply I cared for her. I think it scared Puck a little that I had become so separate from her, but we had both become accustomed to it in the year or so since then.

Now…I had a detective to tend to. Grabbing my suit jacket, I made my way out of the castle, noting to my satisfaction that Mr. Xanatos seemed to be otherwise occupied at the moment. Besides, I was technically off-duty right now. He couldn't object to my taking some personal time for myself. And if I just happened to spend that time with Elisa…then so be it. Not that he needed to know that part.

I made certain to stop by a small flower stand and purchase a small bouquet for Elisa on my way to her apartment, arriving there well within the time limit I had given her when we spoke on the phone. Knocking firmly on the door, I was greeted by Elisa as she opened it. Her expression was rather drawn and confused, until she saw the flowers. Then her entire face lit up as though I had just given her the entire world wrapped in paper. She accepted the flowers happily and smiled up at me.

"You know that you can just come in by now," she said fondly as she went to put the flowers in water.

Stepping through the door, I felt the slight tingle in the back of my head that was always there when I passed over a threshold, courtesy of Puck. That was why I preferred to gain an invitation from Elisa first before I entered. While her apartment did not have as strong of a threshold as her parents' home would, it was still strong enough to make it impossible for either Puck or even myself to pass through uninvited. Of course, Elisa had given me a standing invitation that allowed me—and by extension, Puck—free access to her home whenever we wished, but old habits die hard.

"I know, Elisa," I said with a slight smile. "But I still prefer to have an invitation."

Silently, I cursed Puck for her actions of earlier. She had entered Elisa's home without an invitation. While Elisa did not know of the threshold rule yet—at least, I did not think she did—she would find out soon enough with all the time that was spent with the Gargoyles and myself. Then she would put two and two together, not to mention the change in my voice on the phone. As I mentioned before, Elisa was a smart woman, and observant on top of that. She would figure out the connection between myself and Puck, which at the moment was not what I wanted.

After all, I was not supposed to reveal myself as a human form of the Puck unless it was necessary. And, much as I hated to admit it, Elisa did not fall under the category of "necessary to tell" individuals. I wished that were not the case. I did love her, and I wished that I did not have to keep such a large part of my nature from her, but such were the rules, and I was not about to break them. It would be against my very…"design," I believe was the best word for it. I had been created as the perfect servant, and as such I was not meant to go against the rules, even if I greatly disliked them.

Elisa rolled her eyes fondly at me and smiled weakly as she finished putting the flowers in a vase. A slight shiver ran up and down her spine, I noticed, and she closed her eyes for a minute. I wanted to go over to her, but I knew better. When Elisa was like this, she didn't want to be touched. She would let me know when she was ready for me to come forward. At my feet, Cagney purred and wound himself around my legs. I smiled slightly at him and bent down to scoop up the grey cat. I was almost certain that he had recognized my scent when Puck visited, but thankfully he was incapable of giving away my secret.

"And how are you, my fine friend?" I asked in a low voice, keeping an eye on Elisa as she slowly regained her composure. Perhaps Puck's little prank had taken a greater toll on Elisa than either of us had previously thought…

Cagney responded with a purr, nuzzling against my chin before squirming to jump back to the ground and go off to groom himself. Elisa, in the meantime, had seemed to regain some control over herself and now stood at my side, smiling slightly at me.

"You know you're the first person he's ever taken to quite so fast," she said, nodding at the cat.

She was avoiding the true topic that had brought me here. Though, given what I knew of the night before—which was a great deal, as Puck's memories were my own—I could not say that I blamed Elisa. That and Puck could be…overwhelming at times.

There was a flash of indignation from Puck, but I did my best to ignore that as I slowly wrapped an arm around Elisa's middle. At this moment, my attention was focused solely on the woman beside me, and not the one in the back of my head.

Elisa was a beautiful woman. Her hair was so deeply black that there seemed to be highlights of blue in it, and her skin was a rich dark color that was a very sharp contrast to both my pale coloring and Puck's. Perhaps that was part of the reason why we had both been drawn to her; she was so exotic compared to the two of us. I was rather fond of her coloring. Especially her eyes, which were a very warm brown that drew me in each time I looked at her. And while Elisa did try very hard to appear to be the opposite of feminine she was clearly built in the most feminine way imaginable. All her curves were deliciously well-proportioned and I couldn't help noting how perfectly she seemed to fit against me in moments such as this. Sadly, this was not a time when I could allow myself to be distracted by her appearance.

"You did not call me here to discuss Cagney's social life," I said gently, lightly brushing her hair behind her ear. "What is troubling you?"

She sighed heavily, leaning against me and closing her eyes. "Do you remember anything from last night?" she asked quietly.

I frowned slightly, pretending to ponder her words as I idly stroked her hair. Of course she would ask that first. Puck's spell had ensured that only Elisa would remember the night before and the events that had taken place. She and the Gargoyles. If I was to keep up the charade that I was a mere mortal, then I would have to feign ignorance.

"I'm afraid that I don't know what you mean," I said slowly, as though I was very carefully thinking over the night before. "Why do you ask?"

With another heavy sigh, Elisa led me along to her couch, sitting down and leaning against me once I had joined her. She was incredibly warm and soft against me, I couldn't help noting. Puck seemed to notice the same thing at the same moment, and took great pleasure in pointing it out to me. I hastily pushed the voice of Puck away and tried to focus on what Elisa was saying. I would focus on the more pleasurable fact of her being pressed so close to me later.

After a moment of silence, Elisa told me everything that had occurred on the night before, looking down at her hands the entire time. It was almost as though she expected her hands to transform back into talons again at any given moment. I frowned at this and held her close, simply allowing her to know that I was there to support her as she needed. I think that did help her, as she relaxed ever so slightly against me. I paused as though taking in everything she had said—when what I was really doing was trying very hard to ignore Puck's comments with regards to Elisa's very well-formed rear end—and continued to stroke her hair. It was a soothing motion, both for her and for me.

"That…is quite the experience," I said slowly. "And it sounds quite like something that the Puck would do," I added, mentally berating Puck for her continued gawking at _my_ "mate".

"You've met him before?" Elisa asked, not bothering to move to look up at me as she asked.

I noted Puck's indignation at being referred to as a male with amusement as I looked down at Elisa. "Mr. Xanatos once attempted to gain her as an ally and possible employee," I replied. Which was close enough to the truth for now.

"Why does that not surprise me…" Elisa said, her voice trailing off as she realized what I had said about Puck. "Wait, _what_?" she demanded, pulling back sharply to stare at me. "Puck is a _she_?"

At this point, I could not help the smile that crossed my face. Elisa's shocked expression was rather endearing, to say the least, and Puck was finding it highly amusing. I could hear Puck's merry laughter in the back of my mind, and while I could not blame her for being amused, it was rather distracting to have Puck giggling away. I lightly touched Elisa's arm and chuckled slightly.

"Yes…I'm afraid she is very much female," I responded with a shrug. "It seems that Shakespeare was somewhat mistaken on that point."

_"Bloody Shakespeare. I'll never live that down!"_ Puck ranted in the back of my mind.

It was an old complaint on her part, and I had heard it frequently in the nearly twelve years since Puck had created me. Especially since she had revealed herself to Mr. Xanatos. He found the entire thing highly amusing and often loved to bring it up simply to rile her up. Sometimes I believe he derived a sort of sick pleasure from watching me have to deal with Puck's indignation.

Elisa stared at me in shock for a moment before she nodded a little. "Okay then…" she muttered to herself. "I couldn't tell…when she was here before."

Ah…and here was where I had to really put my acting skills to work. Or, more accurately, Puck's acting skills filtered through me. I arched an eyebrow at her and tilted her head back so that she was forced to make eye contact with me. "Puck was here?" I asked. "When? And what did she say to you?"

Apparently I was quite convincing—_"Of course you were! I made you to be convincing!"_ Puck protested—as Elisa bit her lip and looked as though she was carefully weighing her response.

"She came here this morning," Elisa finally said. "I still don't know how she got in without me noticing…"

Or without being blocked by the threshold, I thought wryly. Not that Elisa knew that part, but it was really grating on my nerves that Puck had been so careless about such a thing. If she had stood outside the door and asked for an invitation, then Elisa wouldn't be as nervous about this and I wouldn't be so worried about it.

"She has that talent," I said noncommittally. "What did she say to you?"

Elisa shrugged a little and once more leaned against me, her arms wrapping slowly around my middle. She couldn't know how distracting it was to have her warm body against mine and her arms around me…otherwise she wouldn't be pressing so close. Or would she? Puck was certainly subscribing to the latter school of thought.

"She…said that she owed me for what happened last night. That she had a debt to pay off to me," Elisa said slowly, shrugging a little and sighing heavily. "I told her that I didn't need anything from her…and then she gave me this."

Reaching under her shirt—which did very interesting things to her cleavage, Puck was quick to point out—Elisa pulled out a green gem that I already recognized. I nodded my understanding and lightly touched the gem, pretending to examine it.

"Interesting," I commented. "Perhaps it would be wise of you to keep this on hand and try to think of a way to have her repay this debt. As I understand it, having unpaid debts has an adverse effect on a Fae's magic."

Elisa gave me a questioning look at this, arching a dark eyebrow and frowning slightly. As I said, she is very smart. A part of me wondered if I was subconsciously trying to get her to try and guess about the connection between myself and Puck. Perhaps I was. I knew that Elisa hated having to hide our relationship from both her family and her friends, the Gargoyles, and I could well understand her predicament in that case. I was hiding a fundamental part of myself from her at this point, and I hated that such was the case. If Elisa guessed what my secret was on her own, then I would have no qualms about further explaining things. After all, there was nothing in the rules against her discovering it on her own. I simply was not allowed to make the facts clear to her on my own.

"You're suddenly an expert on Faerie magic?" she asked incredulously.

"I have spent some time studying it, I will admit," I said with a slight shrug. "But it is not a perfect understanding."

She did not look convinced, but I continued to keep my expression unreadable. If need be I could distract her in another way, but I preferred to not sink to Puck's level and use seduction as a tool like that.

_"Hey!"_ Puck yelped in my mind.

"Owen…" Elisa said slowly, pulling me back to the moment and reality. "What aren't you telling me right now?"

I wanted to tell her, to lay everything before her, but I simply could not. Instead, I lightly trailed a hand along her cheek and smiled slightly.

"What makes you ask that, my love?"

"Just…I could swear that your voice changed when I called earlier, and…you know all this stuff about Fae magic…" she said slowly.

I arched an eyebrow at her and decided to use what weapons I had in my arsenal, namely sarcasm. "Are you suggesting that I am the Puck?" I ask dryly.

Elisa hastily tried to recover the ground she had seemingly lost in this argument. "I don't know what I'm suggesting," she said with a helpless shrug. "I just…I don't know."

"Elisa, the change in my voice could simply have been static on the phone, and as Mr. Xanatos' personal assistant, it's my _job_ to know as much as I can about a wide variety of topics, Fae magic included." I smiled dryly and softly kissed her forehead. "You've had a very stressful night and morning. Perhaps I should leave and let you rest."

She was silent for a long moment before looking up at me pleadingly. "Do you have to leave?" she asked quietly. "Xanatos doesn't need you for anything, does he?"

"Not today, he does not," I admitted with a slight smile. "Do you want me to stay?"

"Please," Elisa replied with a smile, tucking her head under my chin and hugging me close. "I'll rest better with you here."

"Then I will stay," I murmured, softly kissing her hair and smiling softly. "But you really should rest, Elisa. You have not been getting enough sleep lately."

She made a face at me but did not argue against that point, simply snuggling closer to me, her head resting on my chest. I smiled slightly down at her, rubbing her back. There were moments like this when I simply could not help loving Elisa Maza as much as I did.

"I'll be here when you wake, my love," I assured her gently.

"Mmkay…" Elisa murmured sleepily, nuzzling against me and closing her eyes with a stifled yawn. "Maybe I will take a nap…"

I chuckled at this and shrugged off my suit jacket. It seemed that I was going to be here for some time.


End file.
